Fitness: Healthy not Husky

Some people think that stocking up guns, ammo and other supplies will get them through a real crisis.  And then they fortify their homes and think that all's well.  

Those people are wrong.  

Its quite unfortunate that many survivalists overlook the care of their bodies.  We need to be in really good shape to ENDURE.  

We need strong backs to carry our loved ones.  We need strong arms to bash the living dead into smithereens.  At the very least, we need strong legs to run away from the hordes of walking dead!  Mother nature is counting on us to prevail, and we'd better play by her rules. 

How fit should we be?  

I. Know the basics

With the proper motivation and discipline, you won't need fancy equipment or a personal trainer.  You can succeed if you can track these three items aside from your waistline.  

• body mass index - Is a formula for measuring a person's level of obesity using measurements of height and weight.  This is important for setting your goals.  There are many charts that can tell you where you want to be depending on your age and gender. 

• muscle mass - The more muscles you have, the faster you can burn calories.  Try combining cardio exercises with strength training to increase your muscle mass.  Running ain't enough.  You will need to carry heavy stuff when on the run or when engaged in combat. 

• fat percentage -  A lot of weighing scales at fitness clubs or clinics measure this.  There are also other methods such as special tape measures or calipers.  The goal is to decrease this, not necessarily your total body weight.  It may be that you've gained weight but mostly due to muscle.  This is a sign of progress.

There are more such as the Base Metabolic Rate (BMR), Bone Mass, and Metabolic Age, but we can stick to the first three as the basis of measuring your performance as you progress with your regular exercise.  By the time you're looking for more info, you're already on the right track. 

II.  Why do we need to be strong?  

Owning lotsa guns ain't enough.

When TSHTF, you'll need to accomplish all sorts of strenuous stuff to stay alive. You can be called a real Zombie Hunter if you can handle this scenario:

a. carry a loved one or two on your back
b. with your combat gear, weapons AND survival bag
c. while being chased by a horde of zombies
d. and running at a decent speed for probably a few kilometers to escape your overridden neighborhood
e. and then pausing for a while to smash your way through the zombies that happen to stand between you and your family's emergency safe house

Zombies don't tire.  Can you keep up?

III. Active people are healthier

A study from the University of Oulu in Finland correlates a person's overall health with cardiovascular fitness and body weight management.  The study also connects the positive health benefits of a person later in life because of the athletic activity done during adolescence.  

Here we could see how everything is connected to each other.  Our goal is to improve our health, and the table clearly shows what we need to work on to get there.  

IV. Family involvement + regular measurement = SURVIVAL!

Measure your progress regularly.  Stick a simple graph to the family fridge so you can get them involved!  This will give you tangible results of everybody's hard work. This is motivating stuff and the long-term benefits are innumerable.   Make it fun.  A team effort and sharing ideas from even the youngest family member could be the ticket. 

Its your duty as the protector of your family to initiate these things. 

Stay vigilant!